Governing Bodies
Olympic Oath format to be altered at Tokyo 2020
The oath taking introduced for the first time 100 years ago at the Antwerp 1920 Olympics will be altered when the Tokyo Games begin next week.
The wording of the official Olympic oath to be taken at the Opening Ceremony has been revealed in what the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are describing as a “fundamental change”.
A male and female athlete drawn from the Japanese Olympic team will be joined by two coaches and two judges for the ritual as part of the drive towards gender equality as they take the oath on behalf of all competitors in the Games, due to open on July 23.
As they grasp the Olympic flag, the Ceremony begins with each speaker affirming, depending on the group to which they belong “In the name of the athletes”, “In the name of all judges” or “In the name of all the coaches and officials”.
“We promise to take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules and in the spirit of fair play, inclusion and equality,” the oath will continue.
“Together we stand in solidarity and commit ourselves to sport without doping, without cheating, without any form of discrimination.
“We do this for the honour of our teams, in respect for the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, and to make the world a better place through sport.”
The new wording of the oath has come about after a series of recommendations from the IOC Athletes’ Commission.
“We Olympians are role models and ambassadors,” IOC Athletes’ Commission chair Kirsty Coventry said.
“We stand together to send out to the world a powerful message of equality, inclusion, solidarity, peace and respect.
“The Olympic oath-takers selected for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be fully gender equal and will take the Olympic oath on behalf of all the Olympians, judges, coaches and officials, who they represent, in the true spirit of solidarity.”
The Olympic oath had first been taken 101 years ago at Antwerp 1920 when it was spoken only by Belgian fencer Victor Boin on behalf of his fellow athletes.
It had been introduced at the urging of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the IOC President at the time.
The original words remained little changed for almost 80 years until a clause rejecting doping was introduced for Sydney 2000.
An oath for judges was not introduced until 1972 when Japanese ski jumping official Fumio Asaki did so at the Winter Olympic Games in Sapporo.
The wording for coaches was not brought in until London 2012, although it had been spoken at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.
All three sections have been spoken together since Pyeongchang 2018.
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The president of the Confédération of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has announced five new CAF Vice Presidents. They are:
- CAF First Vice President: Mr Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)
- CAF Second Vice President: Mr Kurt Okraku (Ghana)
- CAF Third Vice President: Mr Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
- CAF Fourth Vice President: Ms Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- CAF Fifth Vice President: Mr Feizal Sidat (Mozambique)
In addition, the CAF President has co-opted Yacine Idriss Diallo, President of Fédération Ivoirienne de football, into the CAF Executive Committee.
The CAF Executive Committee also approved the names to fill vacant positions on several CAF Committees.
Organising Committee for the African Nations Championship (CHAN)
- President: Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
CAF Technical and Development Committee
- President: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
- Vice President: Malouche Belhassen (Tunisia)
CAF Medical Committee:
- President: Dr. Mohammed Bouya (Mauritania)
- Vice President: Dr. Thulani Ngwenya (South Africa)
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Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
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